How to Get Brighter Whites

This post was sponsored by the Maker of OxiClean™ through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about their White Revive™ Laundry Stain Remover, all opinions are my own.

Last Monday, my two-year-old was happily eating a hot dog for dinner. He rushed over to me in excitement to relay his grand achievement of finishing the entire thing (which is a pretty big deal when you’re that little). Before I had time to wipe his hands and face, his tiny arms wrapped around my legs, which just so happened to be clothed in white jeans, and squeezed his ketchup-smeared cheeks and hands on my knees.

I know what you’re thinking. Oh, the horror of having your denim ruined! Why on earth are you wearing white as a mother of small children?!

Well, guess what? I used to be one of those people who thought white clothing and motherhood did not mix. That is until I started using OxiClean™ White Revive™ Stain Remover.

You may have read about my love for their Versatile Stain Remover to get crazy stains out of my toddler boys’ clothes, and I am happy to report their OxiClean™ White Revive™ Stain Remover is a miracle worker on whites. Truly. Not only did it get the ketchup out of my white denim, it gets rid of all the cooking and baking stains I collect from being in the kitchen 70% of the day, AND it revives the sad-looking, dingy whites.

Here’s all you have to do to remove stains and get brighter whites:

1. Mix ½ to 1 scoop of OxiClean™ per gallon of the warmest water recommended by the garment care label.Mix until completely dissolved. Submerge stained or dingy whites in solution.Use ½ scoop for typical stains or 1 scoop for dingy whites and extra tough jobs.

2. Soak for 1-6 hours. More soak time may be required depending on severity of stain or dingy whites. For best results soak for 6 hours.

3. Wash as normal with detergent and OxiClean™.

See how easy that is? It doesn’t have that gross chemical smell of chlorine bleach, and it’s also safe on colors. (I like to use it on colored tees that have murky white stripes­--brightens right up!)

I honestly recommend this product. I’ve been using OxiClean™ products for years, and love each new item I test. Keeps clothes fresh and new-looking. Happy laundering!

A Little Home Refresh And $100 Kohl's Gift Card Giveaway

Last week I shared tips for picking art and our new gallery wall as part of our little home refresh for the New Year, and this week I want to share a couple of new items we received, which make all the difference! (Especially as a renter with little control over home updates and changes.)

Drum roll, please...

New cookware and bedding! Yes, it's that simple, but it makes a world of difference in feeling more updated.

Let's start with the cookware. We used our non-stick Cuisinart cookware we received for a wedding gift up until the beginning of this month. In May we will be celebrating our 7th anniversary, if that puts it into perspective for you. The stuff was scratched, and peeling, and anytime I made a light colored sauce you could see black flakes in it. Yuck!



Ever since starting my food blog and deciding it was time to start cooking like an adult, I wanted stainless steel cookware. I was stoked when I found this BergHOFF 10-piece copper clad set from Kohl's. The reviews were sparkling, and I got it on mega super sale! Think $169 mega super sale for something that is worth over $300. I've been using them for a month now, and they cook like a DREAM. Truly, a dream! Smooth, evenly distributed heat. If you are thinking about getting new cookware, just do it already. I have said to Matt, "Why didn't we get these sooner?!" over 10 times. Easily.

Next up is bedding! The home blogs finally convinced me I need all white bedding. Mostly in the name of bleach, because we have two little boys and dirt smudges are inevitable. Guess what?! They are right! We bought this quilt set, these sheets, and this bed skirt (also on mega sale from Kohl's). I've already bleached those suckers—twice!—and they wash up nicely, still look brand new, and are extra soft. I also love how calm and clean they make our bedroom feel. We still don't have a lot of furniture in the space, so it helps it look more pulled together.

Now it's your turn to go shopping to do your own little home refresh! I am giving away $100 gift card from Kohl's. They are having a huge home sale right now, plus you can stack multiple coupons on top of the sale price! Use the promo code HOME10 for $10 off $50 home purchase on January 29-February 3, and 20% off using promo code FORYOU20 on January 29-30.

Enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter widget below. I will select the winner on January 30, and email the gift card code that day so you can get the deals mentioned above. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post was sponsored by Kohl's. Thanks for reading!

Learning Self-Love And Inspiring Words To Live By For 2016

With 2015 coming to a close, this is the time of year where we all take some quiet moments to reflect on what we've achieved, learned, and overcome. Some of the experiences were joyful and exhilarating, while others were painful and unsettling.

I love feeling a sense of connection to these feelings through words. Quite obviously then, my favorite way to seek inspiration and represent said thoughts is through quotes. I've saved myself hundreds of dollars of therapy by finding the perfectly-stated sentiment or enlightening article. (Thank you, Internet!)

"Be softer with you. You are a breathing thing. A memory to someone. A home to a life." – Nayyirah Waheed

"You can't eat beauty, it doesn't sustain you. What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion, for yourself and those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul." – Lupita Nyong'o

"Being your true self is the most effective formula for success there is." – Danielle Laporte

"I used to think I was the strangest person in the world, but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me, too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you." – Frida Kahlo



"Love ourselves completely for who we are and not who we think we were or should be." – Satsuki Shibuya

And there it is. After taking inventory of my personal struggles and doubts, my word for 2016 is...

Self-love.

I decided to choose a word to live by and work toward for the new year starting in 2014. That first year's word was intention and 2015 was focus. It was a life-giving decision. Delving in and grasping those words helped me more fully understand myself. Introspection and self-awareness is never an easy task, but it is crucial for growth and leading a content life.

I am now at a place in my life where I need to practice self-love. Somewhere along the way I turned into a people-pleaser, and while it is a wonderful thing to be respectful and considerate of people's feelings, I have neglected my own. And honestly, I have spent the last few months in a place of self-doubt and anger. I allowed my soul and personality to be robbed of its unique traits because I wanted be well-liked by everyone I encountered. Unfortunately, that is impossible. People do not share unifying beliefs or standards, no matter how ideal it sounds. Being unacknowledged or disliked is the crossfire of that truth. But it doesn't mean we are any less—that I am any less. In fact, it means I am true to my personality, including its quirks and weirdness.

Throughout my life I've battled with depression and anxiety, and my perception of that was immensely shifted once I heard that depression is anger turned inward. After picking up the pieces of my brain from my mind being blown, I allowed that statement to grant me absolution and set me free.

Self-love is embracing my distinct characteristics. I want to look at other people's beauty and not doubt my own. I want to give myself permission to experience negative feelings without letting them control my life. I want to say no without feeling guilty or fearful, and I want to say yes without feeling guilty or fearful. I want to listen to my mind and body when it says, "I need a break!" and honor that impression. I want to listen to more music that sets my chest on fire. I want to recognize and celebrate the talents of others and cease from letting my mind fill with envy. I want to practice honest forgiveness. I want to take better care of my body and fill my days with more activity and time spent in nature. I want to fulfill my need to create art and do it with an unrestrained courage. I want 2016 to be the year where I stop criticizing myself, which will help me halt my oftentimes harsh criticism of others, in turn giving power to a pure outward love.

Happy New Year, and may it be full of inspiration and success!

Image sources 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Our Trip To Chicago

Time is truly a thief considering we were visiting Nanny and Papa in Chicago two months ago! Feels like I just stepped off the plane last week. How?! Why?! Is this a good time to watch Interstellar to remind myself it's all relative?

Anyway, here is a friendly photo dump of all of our adventures, which included, but were not limited to:

Playing at Kuiper's farm and barely missing the timeframe for apple picking and pumpkin scavenging. Oh well. At least I got whooped in a game of bean bag toss and ate the best apple cider donut of my life.

Bike rides and sneaking around Matt's high school.

Food. ALL THE FOOD.

 

Miss Chitown in all her glory. Chicago really is a stupidly pretty city. I could live there. 

Fishing and freaking out at the slimy nature of those waterbound creatures.

Now when do I get to move the Midwest? I make mighty fine cornbread, and I have an impressive ability to wear local sports team apparel like I am one of their most dedicated fans. I am sure I would fit right in! (Da bears.)

Cute Personalized Christmas Gift Wrap

One of the nine million reasons why motherhood has made me a better person is the necessity for being organized and staying on top of things. Procrastination is something I am alarmingly good at, (if there are any talent shows spotlighting that attribute, let me know so I can snag the blue ribbon!) but I have made huge strides in changing my ways. My biggest area of achievement is tackling the huge Christmas to-do lists.

Playing Santa is no joke, and we have been busy in our Amazon workshop making toy orders. We've also started our Christmas card planning, and I aim to have those printed and ready to go by Thanksgiving. (Don't worry, I won't be one of those people who mails them out promptly on Black Friday, though. I have the decency to wait until at least December 1.)

I've already been perusing Pinterest for cute gift wrap ideas, and I was so happy when I found this personalized Christmas gift wrap. I'm going for more of a neutral theme this year, and it fit perfectly. The color is soft and natural, the quality is great, and I love how it looks dressed up with a sweet red bow! The process to order and personalize items on the Tiny Prints website is simple, too. (Like, so simple my mom, who doesn't have a cell phone, could do it.) I highly recommend it!

As for our Christmas cards, we bought personalized postage to top it all off. I think it adds a charming finishing touch to the whole look. I can't wait to send them out this year. (And stay tuned to see how ours turned out!)

Are you already prepping for Christmas, too? (Or am I the only crazy one?) Be sure to check out Tiny Prints for your holiday cards and greetings!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Tiny Prints through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Tiny Prints, all opinions are my own.

Do You Like Taking Personality Quizzes?

It all began in 7th grade. I would come home from school, drop my backpack in the nook between the wall and entry table, and run through the neighborhood and across the street to my friend's house. Instead of doing homework, we would bury our faces in the latest YM or Teen People and religiously take the personality quizzes. 

My favorites, without fail, were the "Is He Crushing On You?" junk and anything and everything to do with horoscopes—the best was the special insert of the Love Horoscope Booklet: Your Love Life for the Next Year Revealed! I was convinced my life's destiny would be unveiled through those neon, glossy pages. I religiously read that pamphlet every day. I kept it stowed away with my top secret diary (lock included) and one of those glitter pencils with the fuzzy feathery toppers that hurt your hand after writing with it for three minutes, leaving a gooey film once they were sharpened down. Remember those?

Not much has changed in the department of me taking WAAAAYYYY too much stock in the tests I take on the internet, and what they can tell me about my personality. I would like to think the quality of tests I take border on the more scholarly, research-guided side of things. However, I still find it tremendously important to know which Hogwarts House I belong in, or if I am Divergent. Balance in all things, people!

(I just lost my train of thought. There is a giant green moth drunkenly flapping around somewhere in our office. Seriously. It is the size of a small bird. It's hiding behind the computer desk, and I am now typing as far away as possible so it doesn't fly into my face!! Send help! Call animal patrol!)

Okay, let's try to get back on track here. 

Personality quizzes!

The best ones I have taken recently are "The Four Tendencies" and "The Big Five" personality traits. It blew my mind! You see, I am the person who—

(The bug jumped out! It climbed up the wall and then I spent a solid five minutes summoning the courage to pounce on him with a glass. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say I would not be Divergent. Or Slytherin... snakes. Ew. Yet, somehow spiders don't scare me. Where's the phobia quiz at?) 

So back to the personality tests. I am the person who wants my therapist to tell me what is wrong with me and what I should do. But I hate being told what to do. You see my conundrum? I am also the person who will take a test and then demand all of my close loved ones take it too so we can compare notes and talk about our feelings for 12 hours straight. Guess who I preyed on first? Of course it was Matt!

"Sweetie, it will be a wonderful way to strengthen our marriage! We can learn new things about each other, which will make us fall even more madly in love!"

It worked. Although, I had to grab him by the collar a couple of times and demand answers as I read the questions out loud and filled them in for him on our drive home from a date. (I'm always this much fun, I promise.)

I discovered "The Four Tendencies" quiz from a Gretchen Rubin podcast, and the "Big Five" from a book review on Snoop. It was actually very informative and helped Matt and I put gather a better, more concrete understanding of the way we individually think, and how that translates in our actions with one another. 

Have you ever taken these personality tests before? You should do it for a date night with your significant other, or just on your own for some introspection and self-growth! Or paranoid over-analyzing. To-may-toe, to-mah-toe.

Here is a list of my favorites! See you in six hours! ;)

The Four Tendencies Quiz

The Big Five Personality Test

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Divergent Aptitude Test 

Which Seinfeld Character Are You?

What's Your Love Language?

What Kind of Mormon Are You, Really?

To Which Hogwarts House Do You Belong?

Are You Ready For Parenthood Quiz?

Which Famous Writer Are You?

Your Relationship Attachment Style

Which Full House Character Are You?

What Is Your Emotional Intelligence?

Which Mean Girls Character Are You?

How Happy Are You Quiz

Which Decade Do You Actually Belong In?

What Has Everybody Been Up To?

Sooooo... what is up? What's the 411? What has everybody been up to? What's the hot gossip? Tell me everything. What have you guys been listening to? What are the cool jams?

(God bless Mrs. George.)

HEELLLLLOOOOO, friends! I was kind of planning on never blogging again, but then I had a moment today where I really missed writing on here, so I guess that means my hiatus is over. Kind of. That, and everyone is going back to school this week. Even though summer isn't technically over until September 22, but whatever.

I guess I will address Mrs. George's list of questions, because it is actually a really good one.

Ready? Okay, me too. Here it goes...

What is up?

I just woke up from a nap, so that's always good news. Matt just made homemade brownies, so that's exceptionally terrific news. We also planted a small vegetable garden! My little plantlings are my other children now. Really though—those things are needy! But I thoroughly love and enjoy the world of gardening. Add it to my resume!

What's the 411?

I have this really sexy illness called sinobronchitis right now. There is also a friendly ear infection to go along with it. How's that for a fine howdy doody? Luckily, it will be saying adios soon, now that I possess an artillery of antibiotics, heavy-duty cough syrup, and an inhaler. I'm one humidifier and food allergy away from becoming Walter in Sleepless in Seattle. Where's the Kleenex?!

What has everybody been up to?

We've just been hanging out enjoying our summer, alternating our time between the pool and the beach. I've been working on getting The Butter Half on her feet. Are you following it? Is your sister, your mother, your brother following it? You all should be. It's my fantastically punny food blog and Instagram, and I have to admit, my pun game is getting stronger by the week.

We spent a few weeks in Utah at my parents' house, in Idaho at my sister's farm, then we journeyed to Arizona to visit my other sister and her family for my nephew's baptism. We are headed to Chicago in a few weeks to see Matt's parents! Good thing we live so far away from everyone—it gives us an excuse to travel around the US.

I am especially excited to go to Chicago. I love the Midwest. Mostly from what I see on all of those "hip and dreamy" Instagram accounts. ;) I am 37% serious. I have learned that when I see a home with sturdy bones and open windows, blanketed in neutrals with wooden accessories and baskets everywhere, accompanied by a sprawling, lush, green backyard, they almost certainly live in the Midwest. My intuition hasn't failed me yet. It's usually the trees and the tire swing that give it away.

I am one of those creeps who has no shame in looking to see how people decorate their homes when their windows are open and all the lights are on at night. Clearly, I love a good home inspo Insta. Does that make me slightly voyeuristic or simply human?

What's the hot gossip?

I read somewhere that the reason people love reality TV so much is because they lack a certain amount of drama in their lives. Thus the need to fill that ghastly void with junk à la the Duggars. (I'm looking at you, Josh.)

Have you been watching Bachelor in Paradise? That's where I draw the line, but I respect your decisions to watch it if you do.

What I really came here to say was have you heard about The Notebook TV series?! The CW has it in the works. At first I was appalled and stubbornly adhering to my purist principles. How can you touch the Holy Grail of romantic movies?! Ryan and Rachel FOREVER! But it's my kryptonite, those sappy, crappy shows. ESPECIALLY if it's on The CW. (I'm looking at you, Gossip Girl.) Apparently I will forever remain in the mental capacity of a fangirling teenager if we are analyzing my references to movies and TV shows. Although, I still don't understand how Tumblr and Snapchat work, so I guess there is hope for me after all.

What have you guys been listening to?

Classical music. It's the only thing that holds the miraculous capacity to take everyone from psychotic screaming to sleeping soundly in their carseats. In under five minutes. You should try it sometime!

I am also on this music documentary kick on Netflix right now, so my playlists are a mishmash of the music from those. A little Jimi, a dash of Mick, a lot of Aretha, and a newly-found love for The Staves, no matter how old news or cringeworthy the hipster affiliation is with that one. Stay tuned for the Netflix round up this Friday!



What are the cool jams?

Race to Erase by Son Lux. Have you watched The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby? OH. MY. BEATING. HEART. That movie chewed my heart up and spit it right back out, in the best way possible. Too many emotions to express. Just watch it. And that song! The tingles in my chest were uncontrollable and my eyes welled up with tears the first time I listened to it. That's the best kind of music. For the record, Son Lux hits it out of the park.

In conclusion, it is painfully obvious my life's passions, aside from my children, husband and random hobbies I latch onto every six weeks, are movies and television. I feel as though I have never wanted the term "couch potato" to be attached to my reputation, but I am trying this thing where I embrace all of my idiosyncrasies and proudly admit them. Wait, am I finally growing up? I can taste the irony here. And I kinda, really like it.